Leg assembly



Oct. 27, 1959 R. E. GEHNE 2,910,059 v LEG ASSEMBLY Filed Aug. 27, 1956 LEG ASSEMBLY Reinold E. Gehne, St. Louis, Mo., assignorY to Jackes- Evans Manufacturing Co., St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Application August 27, 1956, Serial No. '606,350

1 claim. (cl. 126-394) This inventionv relates generally vto improvements in stove legs or the like and more particularly to means for removably mounting legs on the bottom of a stove.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel leg assembly for a stove including retaining means for releasably mounting the legs on the stove and locking means for preventing displacement of the legs Briefly, the present invention is embodied in a leg assembly for a vstove or an article of furniture having a bottom'wall and includes a leg having spaced seat portions for the bottom wall and retaining means for removably securing the seat portionsvto the bottom Wall, the retaining means having spaced socket portions positioned belowV the bottom wall and abutment portions above the bottom wall. The invention also consists in locking means for frictionally retaining the leg in assembled position Vwith the` sockets'.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and wherein like numerals refer to like parts wherever they occur:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a stove having leg assemblies embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom perspective View showing a leg assembled on the stove,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken suhstantially along line 3--3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top perspective view showing a leg partially assembled on the stove,

Fing. 5 is a plan view of a blank for a retainer member for the leg assembly,l

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of a typical retainer member in position to be assembled on the stove, and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken substantially along line 7-`7 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, it will be seen in Fig. 1 that a typical stove 10 is provided with spaced legs 1-1 for supporting the stove in spaced relation from the oor or the like (not shown). Although a wood burning stove is shown for purposes of illustration it is to be understood that other types of stoves or heavy furniture may be provided with leg assemblies embodying the present invention. Brieily, the stove 10 includes a side wall i12 and a bottom wall 13, which are connected by a peripheral seam 14. Other portions of the stove 2,910,059 Patented Oct. 27, n1959 ICC form no part of the present invention and, accordingly, will not be described. j

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, in the presently preferred embodiment each of the legs 11 is substantially V-shaped and includes angularly related shanks 16 interconnected at the lower end by a curved foot portion 17. The upper end of each of the Shanks 16 is connected to a stove supporting or seat portion 18 including a substantially horizontal seat 19 having a free end 20 and an upwardly curved bend 21 between the seat y19 and the shank 16. The seats 19 of each of the legs 11 are substantially parallel and extend horizontally in spaced relation.

The present invention resides in the stove supporting portions i '8 of the legs 11, land in retaining or mounting means 23 and locking means 24 that are cooperable with the portions 18 for removably maintaining the legs 11 in stove supporting position. It is well known that blued steel is dicult to weld and, although the present invention is not limited to such a material, one of the objects of the present invention is Ito provide retaining means which obviate the problem of rigidly securing a leg or leg keepe to a blued steel stove, as will become apparent.

Inasmuch as the leg assemblies are identical, only one is shown in detail in the drawings and will now be described. The bottom wall 13 of the stove 10 is provided with an upwardly indented mounting or keeper Wall 25 defining a depression 25 in which the portions 18 of the legs 11 are positioned to be above the plane of the bottom wall 13.- As shown best in Fig. 6, substantially rectangular openings 26 are formed in the keeper wall 25 in spaced relation determined by the distance between the seats 19 of the leg 111. The retaining member 23 is mounted on the keeper wall 25 and includes socket portions 27 in the depression 25' below the openings 26. The retaining member 23 also includes a web portion 28 interconnecting the socket portions 27, and an end portion 29 connected to the side of each socket portion opposite to the web 28. l

As shown in Fig. 5, the retaining member 23 is formed from a one-piece blank, which is stamped or the like along scorelines 30. .The socket portions 27 are initially formed into. a U-shape having approximately the same lateral dimensions as the openings 26, as best shown in =Fig. 6. The socket portions 27 are also spaced by the web portion 28 and are adapted to be inserted through the openings 26 so that the web portion contacts or abuts against the upper surface of the keeper wall 25 between the openings 26. Each of the end portions 29 is bent or folded back on itself to form a tab 31 adapted to contact or abut the upper surface of the keeper wall 25 on the side of the opening 26 remote from the web 28, each end portion 29 extending from the tab 31 across the socket portion 27 adjacent thereto and being positioned in overlapping abutting relation with the web 28 for strengthening the socket portion 27 and covering the openings 26 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. It is now apparent that when the retaining member 23 is initially assembled on the keeper, the socket portions extend downwardly through the openings 26 with the web 28 and tabs 31 in abutting relationship with the keeper wall 25.

When the retaining member 23 is assembled on the keeper, the socket portions 27 are rounded from the U- shape into a substantially circular cross-sectional shape below the keeper wall 25 so that the socket portions are enlarged laterally and cannot be withdrawn through the openings 26. Accordingly, the retaining member 23 is iixedly mounted on the keeper and the socket portions 27 are adapted to receive therein the free ends 20 of the seats 19 of the leg 11. If desired the socket portions 27 may be rounded either by the insertion of the free ends 20 of the leg or any suitable tool. Manifestly, the leg 11 can be mounted in the sockets 27 or can be removed therefrom, and the cured to the stove without requiring welding or the like.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3. and 4, it will be seen that the locking means 24 for engaging the leg 11 to'retain it on the stove includes the peripheral seam 14 between the side wall 12 and the bottom wall 13. The bottom wall 13 is provided with an upwardly extending peripheral groove or channel 33 deiined by an arcuate wall portion 34 of the bottom wall 13 adjacent to the seam 14, and the lower edge 35 of the seam 14 is positioned on substantially the same horizontal plane as the keeper wall 25. Accordingly, the groove 33 provides a cavity into which the bends 21 of the leg 11 extend, and the bends 21 are frictionally contacted by the shoulder 36 of the keeper wall 25 and the lower edge 3S of the seam 14. The bottom wall 13 of the stove 10 has sorne resiliency and it is apparent that the lleg 11 can easily be removed from the sockets 27 by moving the lower end 17 of the leg inwardly relative'tothe center of the stove whereby the stove connecting portion 1S and the keeper wall 25 will pivot or move into an angular position so that the bends 21 may' be withdrawn below the lower edge 35 of the peripheral seam 14. Removal of the leg 11 is more easily accomplished by turning the stove on its side. When the stove 10 is in upright position for use, the legs extend angularly outwardly and the retaining member 23 is sef the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is limited only by the claim which follows.

What I claim is:

In combination with a stove having a bottom wall and a side wall connected by a peripheral seam, said bottom wall having a peripheral channel adjacent to the seam, and a plurality of spaced upwardly indented keepers formed in said bottom wall adjacent to the peripheral channel, each ofsaid keepers having a pair of spaced openings therein; avretaim'ng member for each of said keepers comprising a pair of sockets positioned below said keeper and having end portions extending through i the openings therein, each of said sockets having a lateral weight of the stove 10 exerts a downward force on the u seam 14 so that maximum frictional contact of the seam on the legs 11 is provided.

It is now apparent that novel leg retainer and locking means for removably securing the legs 11 to the stove 10 have been provided. Inasmuch as the legs 11 are removable, the stove 10 may be packaged in a smaller container (not shown). Furthermore, the sockets 27 of thevretaining member 23 are recessed in the cavity 25 of the keeper or above the bottom wall 13 so that the weight of the packaged stove will be carried by the bottom wall 13 and not the sockets 27, which would be damaged if the weight of the stove was exerted thereon. This arrangement of parts also facilitates the 'stacking of stoves for storage. It is to be understood that the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are given only by way of illustration and example, and that changes and modications, which will be readily apparent to all those skilled in the art, are contemplated'as within dimension larger than the lateral dimension of said openings, a web interconnecting said end portions above said keeper, said web abutting said keeper between said openings, a tab connected to each of said end portions above said keeper and being in abutment therewith, each of said tabs being bent back on itself to extend across the adjacent socket end portions in overlapping relation with a portion of said web; and a leg having spaced substantially parallel horizontally-extending seat portions with free ends, interconnected shank portions, said seat portions being connected to said shank portions by upwardly formed bends, said seat portions of said leg being mounted in said sockets of said retaining member below said keeper in position to support said stove, and said bends of said leg being disposed in the peripheral channel of said bottom wall whereby the peripheral seam contacts said shank portions of said leg to prevent displacement of saidleg from said retaining member.

References Citedjn the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 307,040 Hammerl Oct. 2l, 1884 651,262 McNaughton June 5, 1900 864,371 Hammer Aug. 27, 1907 1,459,539 Kruesheld June 19, 1923 2,037,386 Hunker Apr. 14, 1936 2,158,805 Smith May 16, 1939 2,501,746 Schoenberg Mar. 28, 1950 2,768,044 Jaie Oct. 23, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 492,241 Germany Feb. 19, 1930 

